This small Spanish home facade was built with classic Santa Barbara details. The home was reimagined, an ugly Mansford roof removed. See the transformation as a decorative plaster door surround frames the new Spanish wood door with iron grille.
Other decorative Spanish architectural elements included an iron Juliette balcony with charming clay pots. Deeply recessed windows make friends and visitors alike know they are approaching a high-quality Spanish home.
Listen to Jeff Doubét Share More
Listen in as I talk about the facade remodeling process as you scroll through the before and photos.
CLICK [+] to Read Transcript & Translate
“Hey guys, I wanted to share some additional photos of a small Spanish home facade that was completely renovated here in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA. These photos showcase how the front entry was transformed by removing a Mansford roof.
And if you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see the BEFORE photo. This asphalt shingled Mansford roof with this very ugly arched entryway, with the Palladian window and that sort of thing.
If you can imagine the hanging light… that’s an open stairwell (SEE the inside of the entry foyer, HERE). So, when I was designing the house, I thought well wouldn’t it be cool to put a couple of small windows up there. A) It would look way more charming from the street, but B) it would bring… you know, additional sunlight into the home. And C), just at the top of the staircase (inside the house), you know… looking down into this entry foyer, it would be neat to see the windows from that side, but also the views out those windows!
So, again the full story I’ll share a link to it where you’ll be able to see all the construction photos and stuff. But, I just thought it would be inspiring to see this brick house with this (chuckles) ugly roof. And, once we ripped off the skirt of this roof, it gave me the vision of making this house feel like a two-story Spanish house.
And with different moves like the plaster door surround, I went with a 40 – 42-inch-wide French door, single French door, and we made some iron, an iron grille that attached to that wood door. We had this handmade gate made, and we put a plaster wall out front.
What we were doing is (pause)… The vision was, remove the driveway that drove up to the front door of this house, and pulled into the garage.
And I pitch this idea of putting the garage door on the street, and then opening up all of that space for a patio courtyard. So, the Juliet balcony would look down on that…
And you know, it was just really fun that the developer and real estate investor saw what I was trying to say in the sketches. And he had the guts to pull out his wallet and make it happen!
So, it’s always a collaborative team effort, and it always takes Artisans that know how to build. It takes a design. It takes an investor, but it all can be done, and I’m very proud of the project. And check out that other link. Have a good day”—Jeff Doubet, September 20, 2025
Remodeling a Spanish Facade in Santa Barbara: Before & After Photos
Beautiful, classic Spanish exterior details were designed into this small, two-story Spanish courtyard home.
After Photo: A close up of the decorative plaster door surround, which gives the iron grille front door the illusion that it is deeply recessed in the opening.
An iron gate was custom designed and fabricated and installed in an extra thick courtyard wall opening. The details of which were also incorporated into the front door grille.
Before Photo: A ridiculously ugly Palladian style front entry door and window set wasn’t hard to imagine removing. It’s just… what do you do after that? You will have to check out the other posts in links shared within the transcript, above.